Blueberry Juice Fights Fat, Diabetes

MONTREAL—Juice extracted from North American lowbush blueberries, biotransformed with bacteria from the skin of the fruit, holds promise as an anti-obesity and anti-diabetic agent. For the study, published in the International Journal of Obesity, researchers from the University of Montreal tested the effects of biotransformed juices compared to regular blueberry drinks on mice.

The scientists tested the effect of biotransformed blueberry juice on a group of mice prone to obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes and hypertension. Incorporating biotransformed blueberry juice into the water of mice reduced their food intake and their body weight.

Biotransformation of the blueberry juice was achieved with a new strain of bacteria isolated from the blueberry flora, specifically called Serratia vaccinii, which increases the fruit's antioxidant effects.